


The Velveteen Pooka

by LeafontheWinf2



Series: Time Traveler's Mate [13]
Category: Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Angsty Bunny, Confused Jack, Dead Jack Frost, Idiots in Love, Jack Has Issues, Jack Has No Idea What is Happening, Jack-Centric, M/M, Major Character Death (Sort of), Stuffed Toys, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-13
Packaged: 2018-05-06 11:24:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5414978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeafontheWinf2/pseuds/LeafontheWinf2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack Frost has a very favorite toy that has been with him forever. It was given to him by a stranger many years ago and has been his only companion throughout all of these long years. Now, that toy is going to save his life.</p><p>AKA: Part 1 of Bunny saving his Jack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Velveteen Pooka

**Author's Note:**

> So. Step 1 to saving Jack, getting his memories to make Jack real. Bunny is going to use a toy to do this. The majority of this story will be small snapshots of Jack's life so enjoy.

There is a certain type of magic in well loved toys. Certain ones that children cherished more than anything else in the universe, the ones dragged everywhere. The ragged baby blanket that boy still carefully curled up under in his bed. The dinosaur that the little girl had been given by her father when he came home from the war. The old stuffed animal well loved and adored that had that one eye which was placed with honor on a college bed.

Toys made out of love. Filled with a child's hope, dreams, and wonder, who listened to their memories and took part in childhood joy and fun. The same toys used to scare away the monsters under the bed because after all, everyone knew the Boogeyman couldn’t touch you if Mr. Sniffles was standing watch. It was something every single child knew and some adults still remembered.

Which was why Nicholas St. North had come by the Warren. Aster had stumbled home after Easter which he had struggled to get through to find the Guardian of Wonder seated on the couch in the living room. He looked like hell. Dark bags were under his bloodshot eyes and for the first time since they had met North actually looked his age. The youth wonder had given him was gone, the twinkle in his eyes dimmed.

(But everyone was like that now if Aster dared to admit it. Tooth smiled less. Sandy had dimmed a little. And Seraphina…well. Aster didn’t think she would ever recover from this loss…)

But what caught Aster’s eyes was a small lump of grey resting in North’s large hands. “What’s that?” Aster asked quietly closing the door behind him.

North’s smile was a sad thing, collapsing immediately after. “Is old toy,” North admitted, heartbroken, “Jack gave it to me, asked me to look after it for a while and bring it back here when time is right.”

Aster had to turn away. He refused to stare at whatever Jack had given North. Refused to admit it was real. No doubt a present to make sure North came to check in on Aster should anything happen...should Jack never come home.

But Jack would come home one day. Aster had seen it in the future.

“I don’t need it here,” Aster said harshly, hands fisting in his rage, “I won’t take a piece of Jack away from you...not when I have enough.” It should stay with North. A comfort, in case Aster didn’t manage to save Jack.

“You are not curious about what it is?” North’s voice gained the slightest hint of teasing, an amused look on his face, “What Jack would hide from you by leaving it at the Workshop? Where’s your sense of adventure?”

Dead. Dead and buried in the garden. But Aster had promised Jack to try, so he would try on this. “Budge over and let me see.” North moved over letting Aster collapse onto the couch next to him. Warm hands unfurled to reveal the tiny toy that had been treated so gently, revealing it to the light.

It was a small stuffed animal. A grey and white bunny rabbit that barely fit in North’s Palm but would have been a perfect toy for Jack to cuddle on cold winter nights when he was alone. There was even something familiar about the toy, a similarity to something Aster saw everyday in the mirror. It was a stuffed animal shaped like… “That’s me,” Aster breathed out reaching out to gently stroke a tiny ear.

The ear was softer than silk. The softness of pooka fur which should have been impossible. But even more impossible it was the color of Aster’s fur…

“Yes. I teased Jack over that for quite sometime,” North chuckled softly. His eyes were fond as he stroked the tiny toy’s ears, “He loved this so much. Said it was his best friend for years, a companion he took everywhere. Told me that he would put it in hoodie pocket when they weren’t playing. Was Jack’s own personal bunny.”

And suddenly so much made sense. So many evenings where Aster would open the door to their nest to see Jack hiding something with a mortified blush. Or sneaking up on Jack to hear the sprite detailing an adventure to mini-bunny wasn’t it going to be so much fun? The entire time Jack had been talking or hiding his stuffed toy.

A shaky smiled crossed Aster’s face. “I’m glad he had someone with him,” Aster whispered softly, his eyes sad, “Especially when we couldn’t be there for him.” Neither mentioned that Aster actually meant when I hadn’t been there, too focused on the toy. “But North...why bring this here now?”

“There is magic on toy. Runes stitched into it to capture memories and keep them safe. I am thinking that these are Jack’s memories and it would not...would not feel right to keep them from you.”

“A toy holds his memories?”

“Toys can hold many things. If they are loved and used often enough, they can even capture an entire person’s life and hold it close to them,” North ever so gently transferred the bunny to Aster’s shaking palms, “But I am wondering when you made this for Jack?”

“I haven’t. Not yet at least,” Aster admitted softly cradling the toy close. Strewth, it still smelled like Jack.

North’s eyes now held a hint of pity in them. “Then at least you will be able to see Jack one more time,” North murmured gently before getting up to leave.

Aster sat alone in the dark for a long time after that. He just stared at the pretty green river stones that made the toy’s eyes imagining what kind of life the toy had. How often had Jack drug it up from his sweater to play with? Did they play pretend? What was the toy’s name besides mini-bunny and what kind of story had Jack invented for it? It hurt in the best way to ponder this, as silent tears poured down his cheeks.

After that Aster would start collecting his old fur to create the stuffed animal. Only the best for his little mate who needed more joy in his life. Each individual strand picked and tended to with care. The rover stones had come from the Colored River and were polished to a shine, adoringly stitched into the tiny mouth. And then three years later, the you was finished except for the protective runes North had noted.

Aster sat in front of Jack’s grave staring at the new toy. The old one had been placed against the grave itself to keep Jack company for when Aster was gone. He would never admit it, but having the toy with Jack helped Aster leave the graveside more. But no one would ever hear about that if Aster had his way.

However, even after all this time Aster could not understand why the memory runes would be necessary. It was just a damn toy. Well loved? Yes. Carefully crafted? Yes. But still a toy none the less. All it would accomplish revolved around Jack, a playmate and silent companion but nothing else. Why should a toy matter so much besides letting Aster see his Jack one more time when he was young and alive and healthy?

With an annoyed growl, Aster hauled the toy up to glare at it. “Don’t see why you’re so important,” Aster muttered darkly, “Not like you’re the real thing.”

And here he was, sinking to the newest low he could ever manage. Jealous of his dead mate’s old/new stuffed bunny toy. That he had made for Easter’s sake! All hope for sanity had just gone flying out the window so Aster could yell at a damn toy that had been the center of Jack’s world for so long.

No wonder future Jack had demanded Aster keep ahold of it.

But wait. Jack hadn’t asked for it back. He had asked if Aster had it. More specifically he had been hinting at something...

“ _There’s a magic in certain things. They capture your life, your core, and keep it alive,” Jack had said. There had been a secret in those pretty blue eyes as he’d petted Aster’s ears, a secret Aster had missed somehow, “Did you keep my stuffed bunny?”_

Something’s could keep a person's memory alive. North said toys could capture memories. Jack hinted something had protected his own core from death itself but what?

Jack had destroyed his own Book of Life. He simply didn’t exist in this reality anymore. His tooth container had turned to dust and even his name had disappeared from human historical documents. All that existed of Jack’s life before he had moved in with Atser was the stuffed bunny which had been Jack’s single most precious treasure for years.

Toys have a magic of their own, North had told Aster. Jack had demanded Aster keep a stuffed toy around. A stuffed toy with memory runes stitched onto it…

“Oh,” Aster breathed out staring into the river stone eyes, “I’m an idiot. How did I not realize that before?”

~*~

It was always fun to play in the snow. For being so alone in the world, there wasn’t much Jack could do for entertainment. Animals were only interesting for so long before Jack started to copy them. It had been a sign of a problem when he’d realized he spent more time tweeting like the birds than actually talking. Which of course had been when Jack had made the goal to recivilize himself.

Playing in the snow had been the best option so far. Everyone did so, children, teenagers, adults. It was from them that Jack was able to learn how to interact with other people. Not that it worked very well. After all, winter spirits were only good for causing pain and death. No reason for them to talk to them.

Jack hated that. Hated how they all looked down at him, hated him just for existing. Well. The joke was on them. Because Jack had never asked to exist, so he refused to play their stupid game. The others wanted an angry winter spirit who hurt others and froze people solid? Well, Jack would be the nicest person they had ever met.

So yes. He was here and playing in the snow. Away from the children and everyone else in the world because sometimes it just got to be a little too much. Too much noise, too much laughter, too much feeling. Which was when Jack would disappear into the woods and play with the birds and the deer until he was feeling more normal again.

It was fun to kick up snow. To laugh wildly without anyone staring at him in disgust, to spin around and make snow angels. Jack wasn’t sure that there was a heaven or hell, but if heaven existed it had to be a quiet little piece of the woods where you could play in the snow all day!

“Oh Jack…”

And of course someone had to come and ruin it. An angry scowl painted itself across Jack’s face as he turned in annoyance to face whoever had decided to come out here and belittle him. Well, not here. Not in Jack’s space. Here he was the king.

Instead Jack came face to face with what looked like a giant rabbit. A massive grey and white rabbit staring at him with the saddest green eyes Jack had ever seen (and he’d seen his own plenty of times when he was about to cry) was watching him from the treeline. A heavy green coat was wrapped around the rabbit as he approached Jack slowly.

Nervous, Jack held up his staff. It served two purposes. To protect himself, and offer comfort from this stranger staring at him with watery eyes.

“Who are you?” Jack demanded, eyes hard as the stranger slowly approached. Something was in the rabbit’s hands (paws?), something small enough to fit in Jack’s hoodie pocket.

The rabbit’s smile turned even sadder, “That’s not important. What’s important is I want you to take this.”

He held out the strange thing in his hands towards Jack. Nervously, Jack crept forward through the snow. Scared blue eyes fluttered up to meet green ones as Jack ever so gently hooked the thing with his staff and pulled it in close.

It was a tiny stuffed bunny. A delighted gasp left him as he removed it from the crook, cuddling the bunny close to his chest with a delighted smile. The plush fur was so soft! Jack could rub his cheek against it over and over again and never get over how soft and cuddly it was. And it would fit in his hoodie pocket! This was better than anything he could ever imagine.

A soft laugh reminded Jack that someone else was there. Big blue eyes widened in shock as they darted up to meet the rabbit’s, nervous as he cuddled the stuffed bunny close to his chest.It was strange to be seen acting like a small child around someone else. Jack had...had wondered about it some days. Had wondered what it would feel like to have someone watch over him some day.

Not a lover. There would never be anyone who could bring themselves to love a disgusting winter spirit. But maybe a father, or a mother?

And looking into those soft green eyes Jack could just begin to imagine what it was like to have a father. Someone who doted on you and cared for you and gave you toys to make you feel better. Of course it was a silly thought that brought a frost blush up across his cheeks.

“I….I…” Jack shuffled nervously in front of the rabbit, “It’s very soft Mr. Rabbit, sir.”

The rabbit’s eyes turned even gentler as he approached. Slowly, gently as if approaching a wild animal the rabbit moved across the snow to stand directly in front of Jack. A gentle finger tipped up Jack’s chin, bringing the nervous blue eyes to soft green ones once more.

“Oh look at you,” the rabbit whispered softly, “Jackie, you’re so young…”

Jack scowled indignantly back up at the rabbit. “I’m not young! I’m nearly two hundred years old!”

An amused chuckle left the rabbit. “Now I know why you were so amused to meet me for the first time, love,” the rabbit whispered softly and Jack could tell that sentence wasn’t meant for him. The distant look in his eyes was indicative enough for Jack to be able to tell.

Jack couldn’t keep himself from jumping in shock when the rabbit reached out gently to cup his cheek. “I know things are hard for you right now,” the rabbit whispered gently, tugging Jack forward into a gentle hug with his other arm. Jack squeaked in shock, clinging to the green robe as the snow began to fall in heavy flakes around them, “And that some days you just want to give up and pretend none of this is happening. But I don’t want you to do that Jackie. I want you to keep going, to keep living your life, to figure out what makes you happy. Can you do that Jackie? For me?”

The snow was coming down even faster. “Because I can promise you Jack, that things will get even better,” the rabbit murmured pressing a kiss to Jack’s forehead. “You are so loved, and you don’t even know by how many. There are so many people who are so lucky to have you in their lives. And they know it, and they are so thankful for that.”

Jack froze as the rabbit pulled him in for a searing kiss. Jack went stiff in shock, hands gripping uselessly against the powerful shoulders hidden under the green robe. Pulling back, the rabbit nuzzled Jack’s cheek gently. “Love you so much Jackie,” the rabbit whispered, “Even when I come in here and act like a right wanker, I still love you. No one else, it’s always been you snowflake. I want you to always remember that and always remember how very loved you are.”

And then the rabbit was gone. Jack blushed bright blue, his legs giving out from under him. Tingles were spreading down his spine, spreading out from where the rabbit had touched him earlier. From just seconds ago, and Jack felt ruined.

“What just happened?” Jack whispered nervously, tucking the bunny into his hood.

The rabbit had just kissed him! Jack had no idea how he was supposed to react to that. He’d never had anyone willingly hold his land, let alone pull him in for a quick kiss and then dart away into nothing. Who even did that? Going around and kissing innocent winter spirits who were just trying to mind their own business. Especially after only a brief introduction.

Jack didn’t even known the rabbits name! Call him old fashioned, but Jack much prefered it when someone gave them their name before deciding to press sweet kisses against their mouth. Yes, it had felt rather nice. And yes, the rabbit was handsome. But that wasn’t the point! Jack had wanted some warning at least! Not that cryptic “you’re loved” bullshit the rabbit had spouted then vanished as well.

So what if the rabbit said he was loved? It didn’t change anything. No one ever wanted to have anything to do with Jack Frost!

Except the rabbit had. And he’d given Jack the stuffed bunny. And the bunny would never leave Jack, so he wasn’t really alone now was he?

So just maybe it was fine that the rabbit had kissed him….

“Oi! You!”

Jack stiffened as a new voice came breaking through the silence of the woods. Nervous hands quickly tucked the toy away in his hoodie pocket even as Jack turned to face the intruder into his private meltdown. But he couldn’t actually see the intruder due to all the snowfall.

Jack winced, hunching up a little as he studied the blizzard going madly out of control. It was no secret that elemental spirits had their powers tied to emotions. It had been one of the few things taught to him by the other elemental spirits back when Jack was stumbling and young with no idea how to actually make snow. So it really wasn’t a surprise that while he had been worrying over whether or not he should be mad about the kiss his anxiety had kicked up a nasty blizzard. Oops.

“What now?” Jack grumbled as he watched a strange figure appear through the raging snow to approach him. Whatever was coming was rather tall, far taller than Jack felt comfortable fighting against. Big thing’s had a nasty reach. So with this in mind Jack pulled his staff into a defensive stance and waited for the figure to get closer.

Of course, he was not expecting a giant grey rabbit to appear from nowhere! A rather familiar rabbit at that…

Jack’s mouth fell open in shock. “What?” he squeaked out.

Those familiar green eyes narrowed dangerously. “You,” the rabbit that had just left hissed, pointing a menacing finger at Jack.

The...the rabbit wasn’t wearing his coat anymore. Why was he not wearing his coat? What the hell was happening here? Jack could only stare stupidly back at the rabbit. “What?”

The rabbit took a menacing step closer. “Did you do this?” he demanded, voice a low rumbling threat, “Did you kick up this blizzard!”

“But...coat...gone...what?” Jack sputtered out. He’d dropped his staff somewhere in the midst of this weird parody of the moment before. Flailing around, Jack could only stare helplessly back at the rabbit, “What the fuck, man?”

“Gone? You waited until I was gone to do this?” the rabbit roared and Jack flinched back. He was so confused as to what was happening. “Just wanted the old rabbit out of the way to ruin his holiday for the kids!”

“What?” Jack just stared helplessly at the rabbit.

The rabbit sneered and turned away. “Just rack off Frost. You make a mess wherever you go.” And then the rabbit went running back into the woods, leaving Jack standing helplessly in the midst of the out of season blizzard with no idea what to do.

“What was that?” Jack asked the stuffed bunny weakly.

~*~

“The Kangaroo is officially insane,” Jack declared solemnly to his stuffed rabbit. The very serious stone eyes gazed serenely back at Jack as the floppy head fell forward as if to nod in agreement.

The bunny was Jack’s dearest companion. He’d treasured the little toy since he first received it on Easter of 68 and the rather bizarre meeting with the Easter Bunny. Jack still wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about the rabbit who seemed to have a serious personality problem.

Since their first meeting, it had been a toss up to what Jack would get. Sometimes the rabbit would have sad eyes but a gentle smile. In those instances Jack would end up with arm fulls of flowers and handfuls of sweets along with carefully whispered apologies before being left alone.

Other times he would show up furious and start screaming at Jack for ruining everything. Especially his egg hunts which was just weird because Jack had never gone near anything after that first disastrous Easter.

So here Jack was after another disastrous run in with the Easter Bunny. Curled up safe and sound in his little burrow, Jack snuggled into the soft bedding with his toy.

“He tried to give me flowers again today,” Jack whispered to the toy, “And then he disappeared, came back and yelled at me for killing them. I mean, what did he think was going to happen? I’m a winter spirit. Keeping flowers alive is outside of my normal abilities.”

His toy nodded serenely before being pulled into Jack’s chest for a quick cuddle. The sprite pouted, wishing bit for the first time that his toy could talk so they could spend whole days chatting with each other. Sure, toys were great and all. But Jack really wanted to have someone talk back to him.

With a heavy sigh Jack snuggled into his bedding. “I will say this about the Easter Bunny,” Jack whispered softly into a stuffed ears, “He’s got pretty eyes.”

Even if his toy didn’t speak, it felt right to have someone who listened.

~*~

It had been a month since he became a Guardian when it happened. North had decided that Jack needed a real home, one where he was cared for and looked after with a real bed. Jack hadn’t protested, too busy being ridiculously grateful that North wanted him around. And somehow Jack found himself moving into the beautiful room North had made just for him.

He had been so thankful the door was shut after North had showed him the room. Jack was not ashamed to admit that he broke down and cried a little from his gratefulness. North had given him a full wardrobe filled with soft clothes and a warm bed filled with soft pillows and plush quilts. It was more than anyone had ever done for Jack in his entire life (except for when Bunny had given him his toy).

Once he’d wiped the tears away, Jack had decided to settle into his room. Mainly he’d reached into his coat pocket and pulled his favorite companion in the world from his hoodie pocket. Over the years Steven had been given a name so Jack didn’t feel bad when talking to his friend. It was always terrible when you didn’t have a name, so Jack would always give a name to his friend.

With a bright grin Jack collapsed onto the bed and cuddled Steven close to his chest. “North’s weird,” Jack whispered softly into the ear worn thin from time, “But I think I’m going to like it here.”

~*~

“Bunny’s a dork,” Jack told Steven. Their room had changed over the years. Pictures had been slowly added to the walls to breathe life into the once bland room. A few hardy plants had been gifted to him by Mother Nature that would never wilt no matter how cold it got. A dreamcatcher made of golden sand and the left over feathers from the Baby Teeth along with the painted wooden doll North had made him.

But of course the main portion of it was dedicated to the painted eggs Bunny kept leaving in the room.

“He had me over for the first date,” Jack admitted to Steven softly. He was well aware of the shy smile spreading across his face as he recounted the details to his very best friend. “Turns out he’s a really bad cook, which I wasn’t expecting. I don’t know, I just thought a spring spirit would be able to cook.”

A silly grin passed over Jack's face as he snuggled into the plush material of the toy.

“Then he dumped a bucket of glitter on me,” Jack couldn’t keep a childish giggle inside any longer, “He was so embarrassed! But it was kind of cute really. I...I think this could work…”

~*~

Days turned to weeks, and weeks to years. The years slowly changed to centuries as the seasons changed constantly. Little things changed in the grand scheme of things. Jack fell in love with a grumpy bunny who dragged him across time. And the bunny fell in love right back, adoring the young sprite.

Through it all, Steven was perched in a special place in Jack’s heart. After every adventure, Jack would gather Steven to his chest and whisper to the toy. In that case, a small stuffed rabbit learned how to walk through time and what the ends of the universe looked like. The toy learned about love and adventure, the customs of pooka who had been gone for over a millennia.

That was how a toy captured the life of one young Guardian. It succeeded where tooth canisters and Books of Life failed. Every smile, every tear, every single moment of Jack’s young life was captured and preserved for the rest of time.

That was what allowed an exhausted old pooka to gather the toy close. Steven, the previous toy of Jack’s, was cuddled close to the grieving heart of Aster. The looks sank silently down onto the ground, clutching the toy close even as bitter tears of grief slipped down his face to hit the soft fur of the toy. This toy was special because it would allow him to finally start saving Jack.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed this. I'm sorry it took so long, but finals had me busy. Right now I'll be able to actually write again so I have hope for this story to finish the next part before Christmas.


End file.
